“Look at that name in black and white; I must be doing something right.” – Legally Blonde, the Musical
I’ve been with the company just long enough now that I can start making requests as to where I ship out to next, those requests don’t always go through, but they’re usually considered (when you’re a new hire you can ask for ships till you turn blue in the face, and you still just end up going wherever there’s space for you)…
Normally I don’t put much effort into my requests. I submit them, line up my options, and hope for the best. But in this case…well, when you’re literally asking for the world, you start to nibble your fingernails a bit.
Everyone assumed I was a foregone conclusion to get the flagship World Cruise contract. I’d done it before, I’d already been selected for the A-team once (on my third contract, which, until recently was practically unheard of), and surely it would be a shoo-in for me to get it again. But the thing is, A-Team is a privilege, not a right, and you can never assume you’re going to be called back. Especially now when they’re changing the system and revamping a lot of the way things are done here. It was uncertain whether or not Bas was going be allowed to continue hand-selecting his crew, or whether or not it was going to revert to a seniority-rules situation. I would still have some pull if that happened, as the turnaround for librarians is so high that there are only really 5 of us who have more than a year under our belts, and of those 5, three aren’t interested in doing long cruises anymore…but basically it was far from a sure thing.
I had back-up plans in place, some of which were tempting enough that they very nearly became my first choice instead of my second and third – a temptation I likely would have given into had I not known the far-reaching consequences that would come from either of my Siblings realizing what I’d turned down instead.
As some of you know by now, there was a lot of up and down as to whether or not it was a sure thing even *after* I’d received what I thought was confirmation. But in the end, Head Office wanted me for the contract badly enough, and my onboard supervisor fought for me hard enough, that they went against their better judgment and decided to give it me in the form of an extension.
A four month extension.
By the time I finish the World Cruise in April, I will have been at sea for 11 straight months.
Signed, sealed and official, I got the contract emailed to me last night.
In the words of my supervisor:
I know you can do it. I wouldn’t have insisted you could if I didn’t think so. A lot of people couldn’t do an 11 month stretch, *I* couldn’t do it – but I know *you can*. I will always act in your best interest. And I think this is in your best interest, and I do think it’s something you can handle.
In the words of my Sister?
11 months? Are you COMPLETELY INSANE!?
But I’m not thinking of it as 11 months. I’ve already been out 5 at this point (and I’m barely tired), so…I have 6 left. 6 is nothing. I can so handle 6.
The big deal about landing the World Cruise contract this time? This is the year we go to Antarctica, probably the last year. They’re changing the fuel regulations for the cruise lines that visit Antarctica, and unless the line invests in a re-haul that would cost more than I care to think about, it’s highly unlikely that we’re going to meet those regulations. As someone ever so much older and wiser than I said to me when I admitted to being unsure if I was going to take this contract should it be offered to me (this was when I was still on my previous ship): ‘why on earth would you turn that opportunity? What possible reason could you have? I mean if you get that contract, you’ll be one of a handful of people who’ve ever been there!”
In addition to that, the route also stops at Easter Island, cruises Pitcairn Island, overnights in Rio, overnights in Buenos Aires, etc etc…
During the Roaring Twenties party a few nights ago I was dancing with one of the guests, and I happened to overhear a snippet of conversation from the rest of the team who was standing watching me from the sidelines
“Look at her, she loves stuff like this, it’s what she does. She doesn’t work…she performs. That’s why she’s got the World Cruise you know, it’s not about having Event Staff, they need people who can *perform*”